Chief of HISD Apollo project resigns for national job

Jeremy Beard, the chief administrator over Houston ISD’s school reform effort called Apollo, is leaving to work for the new national nonprofit that is contracting with the district on the program, according to an internal e-mail.

Beard said he is leaving the Houston Independent School District to become a vice president of the newly formed nonprofit, Blueprint Schools Network, co-run by Harvard University economist Roland Fryer, the chief consultant on the Apollo project.

“I feel this position is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Beard wrote in the e-mail. ” I can continue to work with schools and principals in Houston via EdLabs and Blueprint, while impacting children nationwide.”

The HISD Foundation, which fund raises on behalf of the district, has contracted with Massachusetts-based Blueprint, formerly called the School Turnaround Collaborative, for $60,700 a month, according to the contract [pdf].

The contract, signed in January, says the initial term is six months, with the option of annual renewals through June 2016. The contract describes Apollo as a six-year project. HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said the research project that Blueprint is conducting could last six years, but the intent is for the Apollo program to be in the district’s under-performing schools for three years.

HISD’s chief financial officer Melinda Garrett has budgeted nearly $2.2 million to cover the cost of the Blueprint contract for the three years of the Apollo program, according to the updated budget released to the Chronicle this week upon request.

The HISD Foundation will be responsible for raising money to pay for Blueprint, so the money won’t come from the district’s general fund, Garrett said. The estimated three-year price tag for the Apollo program, which will include 20 schools starting this summer, is about $67.4 million, according to the budget, which shows, for the first time, the total expected cost.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier hiredBeard, the principal of the IDEA charter school in Donna, in June to serve as the school improvement officer over the under-performing schools tapped for the Apollo program, which includes daily math tutoring and extended class time.

Grier could not be reached for comment immediately this morning.

Read Beard’s full e-mail after the jump.

Subject: Opportunity
From: “Beard, Jeremy S”

Dear High School Team,

Observing and working alongside great leaders and a team that is daily working towards our mission and core values to close the achievement gap has been inspiring.
Watching the impact on student achievement that is happening, in a short time, in Houston, with our team, and the Apollo 20 Program has been an invaluable experience.

At this time, Blueprint Network School(offshoot of Harvard EdLabs) is offering a VP of Regional Program position to me to help them build out this model nationally in order to help other school districts close the achievement gap across our nation. I feel this position is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can continue to work with schools and principals in Houston via EdLabs and Blueprint, while impacting children nationwide.

My intent was to talk with you all about this opportunity individually. However, with my principal debriefs and son’s surgery this week I didn’t get to talk with you one on one. I fear, at this point, you may hear about this before I get to talk with you this week and I apologize that I am informing you via email without me getting the chance to talk with you.

It saddens me to leave Team HISD and this great high school team, but I have learned a lot from all of you and enjoyed how well we all worked together this year.
Thank you for a great year.